William E Odom, PhD

I joined the USGS as a graduate student in 2020, when I began working with the Appalachian Basin Geologic Mapping Project and the Bascom 40Ar/39Ar Dating (BARD) Lab to map and date geologic materials in the Appalachian Mountains.  Since 2021, I have been developing new approaches to generate surficial material and landform maps using convolutional neural networks applied to high-resolution lidar and other remotely sensed data.  This work began in the Catskill Mountains of New York and has expanded to numerous landscapes around the country in need of rapidly generated surficial maps.  Most recently, I have been using AI-based mapping techniques to locate and characterize relict manganese mines for the Appalachian Manganese Oxide Research Effort (AMORE).

In 2021, I established the Reston Cosmogenic Nuclide (RECON) Lab, a facility dedicated to the preparation of cosmogenic 26Al and 10Be for measurement via accelerator mass spectrometry. I am leading exposure and burial dating efforts for collaborative projects in the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains, in addition to consulting on various smaller-scale studies. Each of these projects is using cosmogenic nuclide geochronology to better constrain histories of glaciation, paleoseismicity, river incision, and tectonic activity.

In my current role, I am working to expand the use of AI-based mapping techniques and cosmogenic nuclides in USGS mapping and research projects.